Keepsake
Author's Note: I don't own the rights to any portion of FF, but I do own Dirge of Cerberus, FFVII and Advent Children!
Warning: I may include spoilers of Dirge of Cerberus in this story, so don't complain to me if you haven't played it yet. You have been warned.
It was 3 a.m.
A calm mist had rolled over the city of Edge, blanketing parts of the ground and giving the glittering neon signs a distinct prominence in the early light. Seventh Heaven's silhouetted sign cast soothing tones of dull pink over the ground, reflecting in a puddle of water that had been lightly disturbed recently and was rippling. From behind the covered window of the bar, a light could barely be seen.
Usually, everyone would have been long asleep by now, but due to the circumstances, the bar was dimly alive this morning. Voices flowed in soft streams of dialogue from the various seating.
"I'm just so worried about him…I mean, where could he have gone?" The voice came from the Wutai ninja Yuffie, whose normally perky demeanor had been reduced to quiet picking at the pieces of sliced peach on her plate of snacks. She fidgeted at the fuzz on the backside of a slice, and then bit off the end and munched it contemplatively, frowning. "You guys all saw him! He just flew into Omega and then they both…disappeared like that." She gestured with one hand for effect, and turned her face to Cloud, as if scowling at him would produce an automatic answer.
"I'm sure he's alright." Cloud smiled somewhat, and then his look faded for a moment. "Vincent has always been able to take care of himself."
Tifa returned from behind the bar with a blanket in one hand and a glass of gin and tonic over ice in the other. She set her drink on the bar counter and quietly made her way to an overstuffed armchair by the unlit fireplace, where Marlene and Denzel had fallen asleep together. Their innocence caused her to grin to herself before she placed the blanket over their sleeping forms. The way Marlene's head was tilted on Denzel's shoulder stoked a memory of Tifa and Cloud together as children, and she moved a lock of stray hair out of the girl's mouth before sighing softly.
"Aw'course Vincent'll be able to take care of himself! Hell, he just took down Omega Weapon with'awt a blink of his eye!" Tifa heard Cid's comment followed by a noise of distress from Yuffie.
"I'm still worried about him!" Yuffie pursed her lips together and cradled her empty plate in her lap. "Vincent isn't the type of person to ask for help…or to complain, for that matter."
"We could aw'ways send summin' out there tomorra' to look for 'im if he don't come back."
"Hey, that's not such a bad idea, Barrett! He can't be too far off, right guys!"
Cloud tilted his head back slightly and eyed the window, where Shelke was staring outside with a blank look on her face. "I don't think all of us should look for him. It would be very time consuming, what with all the work we're going to have to do tomorrow helping clean up after Deepground. Why don't you go, Shelke?"
She jerked away from the view a bit suddenly, seeming surprised at the notion. "Me? Why?"
"You seem to have gotten along with him pretty well, right?"
Tifa glanced at Cloud as he spoke to the girl, and some part of her felt suddenly very distant. She sipped her drink quietly from her seat at the bar, and then turned her eyes to the ceiling, pretending to be interested in the twirling of the fan.
"Well, yes, I suppose. If that's what all of you want then…I guess I could go look for him." Having so many eyes on her at once made her nervous, and Shelke amused herself by fidgeting absently with the lace edges of the curtains and not making eye contact with Cloud. Tifa noted the small smile on his face at her reply and she spoke up.
"Hey Cloud,"
He was drawn to the sound of her voice and he turned to her, listening. "Yes?"
She paused, considering asking him 'What if we don't find Vincent?' or 'What if Vincent….is dead?' but thought better of it and shook her head from side to side. "Sorry. Nevermind."
He looked at her and she looked down at her drink, instinctively embarrassed for some reason. When she looked back again, she knew that Cloud could read what she had wanted to say in those blue eyes of his, and she coughed to change the subject. "If anyone wants to stay here for some rest, please feel free. I don't have a lot of spare rooms, but there are extra beds."
Yuffie got up to put her plate in the sink and when she passed Tifa she shook her head sullenly. "Sorry Tifa. I'd love to stay the night, but I should probably head back to Wutai. I've been meaning to check up on my old man, and the sooner the better, as they say."
Barrett and Cid both declined politely; Barrett had "business" and was planning on starting early on the Deepground clean-up, and Cid had to get home to let Shera know he was still breathing. Tifa's heart sank a little at the mention of her friends splitting up again, and she looked hopefully at Cloud for a short moment. "I suppose you're leaving too, Cloud?"
"Unfortunately, yes. I'm going to be helping in Midgar. I appreciate the offer though, Tifa. I do enjoy a nice meal and some friendly company."
"That's okay." She drained the last of the gin and set the glass down noiselessly on the counter. "I've still got Red, Shelke, and the children." She smiled despite her obvious discomfort, and then turned away altogether. "You guys have work to do, I understand." The last part was almost a whisper.
The sliding of wooden chairs on the floor was heard, and Tifa bit her lower lip as her friends got up to go. Shelke went into the back kitchen to get herself a drink of water, and Red curled up by the chair Marlene and Denzel were sleeping in. Tifa didn't watch them leave, because she knew if she looked into their eyes she would be sad.
Echoes of "goodbye" and "we'll see you again real soon!" circulated as they left, with the door finally shutting after Cloud.
"I guess I always was just a good friend, huh Cloud?"
From the kitchen, Shelke stared at the half empty glass of water in her hands, watching her distorted reflection.
"Vincent Valentine…please come home."